25-04-2025
Vengeful son murders stepfather at the dinner table in shocking revenge for shacking up with his mother
A South Carolina man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting his stepfather to death right in front of his horrified mother.
Daniel Adame-Guatemala, 25, was identified as the suspect in the killing of 29-year-old Christian Hernandez on February 24, 2022, the same day Hernandez was found dead in his trailer home at the Godwin Mobile Home Park in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Hernandez, who had multiple fatal gunshot wounds, was married to Adame-Guatemala's mother, who identified her son as the killer.
The mother, the only witness to the crime, told police that Adame-Guatemala emerged from a bathroom while they were eating dinner at the table and began firing a 9mm handgun at Hernandez and in the vicinity of his mother.
Adame-Guatemala had prior convictions for public disorderly conduct and second-degree domestic violence.
He lived with his mother and stepfather for several months after his release from prison for those earlier charges.
After the shooting, Adame-Guatemala took the family pickup truck and spent the next several months on the run the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, the US Marshals Service and Mexican authorities.
He first went to Mexico, where he had relatives, but later went all the way down to South America, according to police.
Roughly four months after Hernandez's death, Adame-Guatemala was captured in June 2023 by US Border Patrol agents when he tried to get back into the US at a checkpoint in Hildago, Texas.
Given the amount of evidence against him, Adame-Guatemala agreed on Wednesday to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and an illegal weapons charge.
'The violent death of a loved one must be terribly excruciating – and doubly so when that death is at the hand of a family member,' said Deputy Solicitor Mary Jones of the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office, who prosecuted the case.
'It is not clear why the defendant in this case acted in such a violent manner. However, such violence makes it clear he belongs in prison.'
Jones added that the family cooperated with police and aided in Adame-Guatemala's prosecution.
'They did not relish the prospect of testifying against him. Because the defendant also took responsibility for his crime by pleading to voluntary manslaughter, we agreed this was an appropriate resolution and merciful for his family,' she said.
Specifically, Adame-Guatemala entered an 'Alford Plea,' which means he maintains his innocence while acknowledging that if his case went to trial, there would likely be enough solid evidence to convict him.
As with all plea bargains, an 'Alford Plea' is not a right the defendant is entitled to, so it must be something that is offered and agreed to by the prosecution and the judge.
Circuit Judge Martha M. Rivers handed down the 20-year sentence.
However, with the amount of time he's already served in pre-trial detention, he'll be spending a little more than 18 years in prison.
